PayPal to offer extra layer of protection

PayPal to offer extra layer of protection

PayPal provider of secure online payment transactions, and popular form of payment among users of EBay, the online auction leader, is currently testing a variant of RSA Security’s SecurID token.

The PayPal Security Key is free to business accounts but a $5.00 service fee will be issued to personal accounts. These accounts require users to enter a randomized six-digit code in correspondence with their username and password. Aimed at protecting consumers and members from fraud, the PayPal Security Key is currently in beta testing by PayPal employees. It will go into public testing in the next few months.

The key itself calculates a numeric password every thirty seconds, making the feature useful as the keys are designed for one use only. This type of security is already in place at several financial firms across the United States.

You can activate the feature under the profile section of your personal PayPal account, and from there, sign up to get the key. If you loose or break your key, a common problem for many who use these types of devices, PayPal said that you could still login to your account; only you will need to verify it. They did not say in their FAQ pages how you would verify your information but anyone who has ever called PayPal over the phone is familiar with playing twenty questions to prove your identity.

The new level of security offered by PayPal might stem from the fact it is often the target of phishing scams and many victims of online fraud stem from having their PayPal, and subsequently their bank accounts drained, because of it. The service, when launched officially, would be of great value to anyone who is persistent user of EBay or other online merchants with their PayPal account.

Several high street banks, such as HSBC, already offer this service to their business customers.

Tips for Protecting the Home Computer

Tips for Protecting the Home Computer

Botnet programs and other malicious software largely take aim at PCs running the Microsoft Windows operating system, because Windows’ ubiquity makes it fertile ground for network-based attacks.

Using a non-Windows-based PC may be one defense against these programs, known as malware; also, anti-malware programs and antivirus utilities for the PC are available from several vendors.

Microsoft entered the computer-security business last year and now offers a free malware-removal tool for download from its Web site. The company says the program removes about two million pieces of malware each month, of which 200,000, or about 10 percent, are botnet infections.

Like Windows, Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser is also a large, convenient target for code-writing vandals. Alternative browsers, like Firefox and Opera, may insulate users. Microsoft’s most recent browser release, Internet Explorer 7, is said to offer significantly improved defenses.

Adding software to your browser like Noscript, a plug-in utility, can limit the ability of remote programs to run potentially damaging programs on your PC.

Security experts also offer these tips:

¶Don’t share your computer (on which you pay your bills) with your children (who download games).

¶Use a firewall program that warns you about outgoing connections that botnets make to communicate with control software.

¶Don’t use the same password on more than one financial site.

¶Don’t let your browser store your password for such sites.

¶Don’t buy anything offered by a spammer.

¶Don’t click if someone offers you something too good to be true. It is.

JOHN MARKOFF